Holy Wells in the 19th Century: The Role of the "Sacred Place Keeper" in the Shaping of a Cult

Abstract

Drawing on research at the archives of the Holy Synod, the article examines the representative cases of emergence of “holy wells” in the 19th century, as well as the reaction of both clerical and secular administration to the latter. The rise of the cult of revered springs is traced along several specific stages depending on the shifts in the status of the object. The author argues about the decisive role of the “keeper of the sacred place” at the initial – taken as the most important – stage of the cult’s emergence.